The present invention relates to an image processing system, and in particular, to an image processing system wherein an image processing apparatus having an image reading means, an image printing apparatus and an information processing apparatus are connected to each other through a network.
There has been known an image processing system wherein, when a user gives instructions for printing through PC (a personal computer), a print JOB is transmitted from the PC, and an image processing apparatus that has received the print JOB conducts a rasterization processing to transmit the results of the rasterization processing to an image printing apparatus in which image printing is carried out.
For example, in “page description language parallel processing print system” described in TOKKAIHEI No. 6-168087, a print JOB is split into a plurality of sections, and a part of them is transferred to another information processing apparatus on the network (or all of them are transferred, and a range of each allotment is indicated) to rasterize in parallel so as to conduct rasterization processing at high speed.
Further, in “page description language interpreter” described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,580, there are provided a means to split a print JOB into a plurality of partial files and to transfer them to other information processing equipment connected roughly and a means to collect the sections rasterized by other information processing equipment to compound them, and when participation to rasterization in parallel is requested, a response is made depending on the load to rasterize the partial file when the load allows it.
However, in the conventional technology mentioned above, there have been the following problems.
Namely, in both inventions described respectively in TOKKAIHEI No. 6-168087 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,580, it has been necessary to split one print JOB into a plurality of partial files (or to judge a splitting range) and to compound the rasterized partial files in another apparatus having a rasterization function, which has caused a problem of complicated software and apparatus. Further, there has also been a problem that the splitting and compounding processing result in overhead.